Background : God has asked Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh, to preach to the people so they wouldn’t do evil anymore. However Jonah held grudges against the Assyrian people who massacred the Israelites, and would not preach to them, so he boarded a ship to run away from the Lord. When God caused a big storm to come upon the ship, Jonah would rather ask the sailors to throw him into the sea than do what the Lord’s asked …

 

Verses: Jonah 1:14-2:10

 

¹⁴ So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t let us die because of this man’s life; please don’t think we are guilty of killing an innocent person. Lord, you have caused all this to happen; you wanted it this way.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea became calm. ¹⁶ Then they began to fear the Lord very much; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made promises to him.

¹⁷ The Lord caused a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

While Jonah was inside the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God and said,

² “When I was in danger,
I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
I was about to die,
so I cried to you,
and you heard my voice.
³ You threw me into the sea,
down, down into the deep sea.
The water was all around me,
and your powerful waves flowed over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I was driven out of your presence,
but I hope to see your Holy Temple again.’
⁵ The waters of the sea closed around my throat.
The deep sea was all around me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ When I went down to where the mountains of the sea start to rise,
I thought I was locked in this prison forever,
but you saved me from the pit of death,
Lord my God.

⁷ “When my life had almost gone,
I remembered the Lord.
I prayed to you,
and you heard my prayers in your Holy Temple.

⁸ “People who worship useless idols
give up their loyalty to you.
⁹ But I will praise and thank you
while I give sacrifices to you,
and I will keep my promises to you.
Salvation comes from the Lord!”

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and the fish threw up Jonah onto the dry land.

 

• Sometimes there are moments we don’t understand God, or get upset at God. We may be stubborn against what God wants us to do. Even Jonah, a great prophet, was once very mad at God. Do you have similar experience? Have you ever been upset or mad at God? It is ok, God allows us to be mad or upset at Him. What he doesn’t like is to run away from Him. Do you have something in your mind you’d like to tell God? Past experiences we don’t understand? Bitterness that is still in our hearts? Try to tell all that to God through a prayer!

•  Jonah could not overcome his own emotions when he was busy running away from God, but notice how when in the belly of a big fish, cut out from the outside world, Jonah could finally clear his mind, and said one of the most sincere prayers he’s ever said to God. Do you have a habit of devoting, reflecting and meditating? Do you spend quiet time away from your busy life every day?
• Jonah was asked to deliver a message of salvation to the people of Nineveh, and he was trapped inside the fish for 3 days before he saw daylight again. When people asked Jesus to perform another miracle, Jesus said “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:39-40) God used the story of Jonah to foreshadow the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gift of salvation is given to us because Jesus was willing to pay a hefty price – His own life. Let us respond to Jesus through our prayer in this Christmas season!